Rangers have congratulated midfielder Ryan Jack on reaching 200 games for the club as a summer contract dilemma approaches.
The Scotland international midfielder, 31, also marked his return from injury when he came off the bench late on in the eventual Scottish Premiership victory over Hearts.
Ryan Jack’s first appearance since the 3-1 defeat to Aberdeen which cost Michael Beale his job, Rangers paid tribute to the midfielder for reaching the 200 milestone in an Instagram post.
Signed from Aberdeen on a pre-contract in 2017, it’s taken over six years to reach a milestone which, given Ryan Jack’s talent, should’ve probably been hit earlier.
Injuries have badly interrupted the latter part of Jack’s Rangers and Scotland careers with the latest issue forcing him to miss the latest round of European Championship qualifiers for the national side.
But with Ryan Jack also one of several players out of contract in the summer, the Gers face a major dilemma as to whether or not they renew the deal come the end of the season.
Rangers face Ryan Jack contract dilemma
Rangers haven’t gotten enough from the injury-plagued star over the course of the last few seasons but there is a genuine case for renewal.
A diehard bluenose who knows what it means to play for Rangers, not only is Ryan Jack generally an effective contributor when he’s on the park but he’s a leader in the dressing room.
The Rangers squad benefits from the presence of Ryan Jack off the park and any new contract would hold off the need to replace that presence.
Rangers are also devastatingly short on the homegrown quota for European squads and as things stand there does not appear anyone suitable to come in and take Jack’s place.
By losing another name from the list, Rangers potentially lose another body from the squad and it’s another risk in this regard.
But fundamentally, players sign contracts to play football and if Rangers cannot guarantee enough minutes for Ryan Jack to make a tangible impact then maybe the writing will be on the wall.
As doubts surround Ryan Jack, one of his senior Ibrox teammates is playing himself into contract contention.
